With the advent of modem telecommunications systems, users of telephonic systems including wireline and wireless telephones, pagers and the like, are contacted via an address consisting of a directory number. A directory number is generally a number that is dialed or input by an originating party at an originating station to reach a terminating station associated with the directory number. A directory number, typically a ten digit number, is commonly referred to as a “telephone number” and may be assigned to a specific telephone line. In order to contact a user at her telephone or pager, the directory number assigned to the user's telephone, pager, or telephone line is dialed by a calling party using the calling party's telephone, pager, or other telephonic device.
Given the enormous number of telecommunications systems, users and associated directory numbers, a number of telecommunications service provider and third party service provider directory assistance services have been developed. A typical directory assistance service includes a large database containing the names, addresses, and directory numbers for a number of telecommunications systems subscribers. According to a common practice, a user desiring the directory number of another party dials a directory assistance access code, for example “411”, to be connected to a local or third party directory assistance service. Once connected to the service, the user may provide the name and/or address associated with the requested directory number to a human operator or to a voice activated directory assistance system. If the requested directory number is located, the number is provided to the user by the operator or via a recorded message file. Often, the provision of the directory number is accompanied by an offer to automatically connect the user to the requested directory number. Unfortunately, under such systems, the user must memorize the directory number for future use, manually record the directory number for future use, or the user must call back to the directory assistance service each time the user needs the requested directory number.
Some prior telecommunications systems allow user's to establish address books in a local or remote database where a number of directory numbers may be saved for use by the user. The user may select directory numbers from the user's personal address book, or by using a voice activated dialing system a user may be automatically connected to a called party whose number is in the user's address book. Unfortunately, if a desired called party's directory number is not in the user's personal address book, the user must disconnect the call and place a second call to a directory assistance service. After the user finally gets a directory number from directory assistance, the user must memorize the number, record the number or call back to directory assistance for subsequent use of the number. If the user wants to add the new number to her personal address book, the user must contact her service provider and manually update her address book with the new number.
If the user accepts an automatic connection offer, a call is placed between the user and the called party via the requested directory number (either from directory assistance or from the user's personal address book). Unfortunately, once the call is initiated, the directory assistance service or voice activated dialing system typically drops out of the call. That is, the directory assistance service does not stay in the call to monitor whether the user reaches the called party. If the called party is not at the destination associated with the requested directory number, the user's call may go unanswered or the user's call may be forwarded to a voice mail system or other forwarding number. Unfortunately, if the user must reach the called party, the user must now try to ascertain the current location of the called party. For example, the called party may be available via her wireless telephone or pager, or the called party may be at some other location such as an office or vacation destination. If the user can ascertain the current location of the called party, the user must call back to the directory assistance service to obtain a directory number, if available, associated with the current location of the called party.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.